"Hegseth's appearance on 'CBS Evening News' followed the Trump administration's move to sharply restrict access for credentialed Pentagon reporters, sidelining journalists responsible for independently scrutinizing U.S. military power. Yet CBS not only sat down with Hegseth, it allowed him to define a U.S. military operation in Venezuela as a 'law enforcement' action, argue Congress need not be notified, and openly discuss American oil interests, all without confronting the administration's crackdown on the press itself."
"It was only a couple of months ago that reporters from reputable news outlets were essentially kicked out of the Pentagon for refusing to sign a new policy that prohibits journalists from accessing or soliciting information that the Defense Department doesn't make available to them, including unclassified information. As Hall points out, it's not that CBS News should not have interviewed Hegseth. Of course it should have. He is the secretary of defense."
Tony Dokoupil's debut as anchor was moved up to Saturday following a U.S. invasion of Venezuela and featured a lengthy interview with Secretary Pete Hegseth. Dokoupil pressed Hegseth on who was in charge of Venezuela, but the interview drew criticism for allowing Hegseth to frame the U.S. military action as a 'law enforcement' operation, argue Congress need not be notified, and discuss American oil interests without addressing limits on press access. Reporters from major outlets were recently barred from the Pentagon after refusing a new policy that restricts access to information, including unclassified material. Critics said the terms of access made the interview problematic given the administration's punitive measures against journalists.
Read at Poynter
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